Equine-Assisted Learning for At-Risk Youth: An Archival Study

Equine-assisted learning provides a viable alternative or complementary adjunct to traditional talk-based therapy interventions to

improve psycho-social outcomes with at-risk youth. The primary purpose of this study was to examine the significance and magnitude

of change in at-risk youth (n = 560) from pre- to post-implementation of an eight-week EAL program designed to improve social-

emotional outcomes. Researchers first assessed the reliability and validity of both the Horses Assisting Youth Parent (HAY-P) and

Horses Assisting Youth Staff (HAY-S) measurement tools. The validation portion of the study revealed three scales for each

measurement tool: Total, Factor 1- Contentment and Communication, and Factor 2- Compliance and Focus. Second, the researchers

utilized dependent t-tests, and it was shown that youth evidenced significant improvement (p < .001) on all scales. Effect sizes were

large to huge (d = 1.081 to 2.717). The study supports the premise that EAL programs can improve psycho-social outcomes for at-risk

youth.